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Suspected meth, heroin found in I-94 traffic stop

An anonymous tip led to the discovery of several ounces of methamphetamine and syringes loaded with heroin last week during a St. Croix County traffic stop.

The incident led to three arrests, including a Twin Cities man who told authorities the drugs belonged to him, according to court documents.

That man, Oakdale resident Daniel J. Moser, 37, was charged in St. Croix County Circuit Court with methamphetamine possession with intent to deliver and heroin possession with intent to deliver.

Moser was ordered to post $5,000 cash bond at his initial appearance Aug. 3, where he also waived extradition to Minnesota on outstanding charges.

The driver of the stopped vehicle, 26-year-old New Richmond resident Nicholas M. Lynch, and backseat passenger, St. Paul resident Christi L. Butler, were charged with the same offenses. Butler posted $500 cash bond on Monday, while Lynch remained in jail ahead of an Aug. 9 preliminary hearing.

According to a criminal complaint:

An anonymous caller reported Aug. 2 that Moser and Lynch were headed east on Interstate 94. Wisconsin State Patrol troopers learned the registration for the car they were in was suspended.

Troopers stopped the car just past Mile Marker 10 in St. Croix County, where Lynch was found in the driver's seat and Moser was the front passenger.

Officers smelled pot during the stop and conducted a search of the car.

Inside the back seat was a bag containing meth paraphernalia, which prompted officers to arrest Moser. He was found with a digital scale in his pocket; the scale contained remnants of suspected meth.

The back seat also contained a backpack. The backpack held a metal container that had been duct-taped shut. An Altoids container sealed with duct tape was also inside the backpack. Meth was found inside both containers.

The backpack also held a sunglass case that held three large meth rocks. A hygiene case containing 22 syringes was also found in the backpack.

A liquid found in the syringes field-tested positive for heroin.

The total weight of the meth found in the backpack was just under 4 ounces.

Lynch told officers he had picked up Moser at the Hudson Fleet Farm, where he had agreed to take him to Eau Claire for $25. Lynch said he didn't know the bags Moser was toting contained drugs, nor did he know the woman with him, later identified as Butler.

Lynch told officers he didn't know where Moser acquired such a quantity of meth, but that "if he received a 'deal' he could possibly come up with something," the complaint states, but goes on to note Lynch describing Moser as "low on the totem pole" of drug dealers.

"All the meth," Lynch told officers, comes out of Monticello, Minn.

Moser admitted to possessing all the drugs, including a meth pipe found at Butler's feet in the back seat. He told officers he'd handed it to her and asked her to hide it after seeing the troopers close in on them.

Butler denied knowing about the drugs. She told officers she and Moser were headed to Eau Claire "for a weekend away from the city," according to the complaint.- BEGIN ARTICLE BELOW - DO NOT REMOVE THIS LINE -